Comedian Louie Anderson performs Saturday in Ocala

Thursday

Apr 29, 2010 at 12:01 AM

Louie Anderson will perform at Ocala's Bonkerz Comedy Club on Saturday night.

By Dave Schlenker

Everybody knows this guy.He worked in McDowell's burger barn with Eddie Murphy in the 1988 comedy "Coming to America." He delivered flowers in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." He served up jokes for charity alongside Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg.He played himself in a cartoon bearing his name. He was a square on "Hollywood Squares."He and fellow comic Kyle Cease lead Stand-Up Boot Camp to help prospective comedians. And he hosted the latest version of "Family Feud," where, he said, the best family feuding erupted during commercial breaks."When we would go to commercial, the families would chastise each other about getting an answer wrong. 'Pigeon! You said pigeon! Birds that can't fly. You said pigeons.' They were fighting amongst themselves. 'We're not giving you a ride home.' They were brutal," Anderson said.Most relevant in these pages: He will perform at Ocala's Bonkerz Comedy Club on Saturday night.Last week, Anderson called by phone from Las Vegas, where he lives and performs. Life seems good for Louie. He may no longer be a household name - some locals, upon hearing he was booked for Ocala, said, "I thought he was dead" - but he's playing Vegas, touring and still making a good living making people laugh with that recognizable nasal delivery.Q: Do you have a regular show in Vegas?A: I have a regular show Sunday through Thursday at the Excalibur Hotel.Q: Any topless dancers?

A: Sometimes I go topless. I like to go out topless just to throw the crowd off - "Has anybody seen my shirt?"Q: How often do you get to tour?A: I tour every couple of months. I'm doing this Stand Up Boot Camp thing ... I take some time off to do these little jaunts. You know, I love Florida. I'm looking forward to that. I'm going to have some days in between so I can really relax.The minute you get around that kind of weather in Florida, you automatically relax. It's kind of like when you go to the islands. You're forced to relax.Q: If people took you out of the comedy/movie business, where would your field of study be?A: I would go into teaching or psychology.Q: Really? Now you were once a counselor, right?A: Yeah, I'm really interested in how crazy everyone is.Q: Being from such a such a large family - you were the 10th of 11 - were you the target most of the time?A: When you're in a family of 11, everyone's a target. Whoever's older than you, you're their target. Actually, I had a pretty rough tongue, so if people picked on me, they got a tongue lashing. I'm tougher than I look.

Q: What was the worst thing your brothers ever did to you?A: I think just telling me there were monsters in the swamp across the street. They described them as my actual parents. They said, "You're from frog-faced people. See how your eyes bug out? Your real parents live over in the swamp. Don't think they can't reach you." And I told my little brother that after I figured out it wasn't true.Q: In "Family Feud," did the families ever smack-talk or taunt the opposing families?A: Not too much. Only in a fun way. That would be a good thing, though: "Thug Family Feud." "Poor, White Trash Family Feud." "Is your mother your cousin?"To be honest with you, it's a pleasant thing because people just want to win money. They do that fake television thing: "Hey, I hope everybody does well." But they don't really mean that. They don't want the other family to win. You want to win. "We hope you do well to a point."Q: So how do you see yourself as a retired Louie Anderson?A: I don't know if I could ever retire. I think when I'm all done with this, I'll settle into teaching somewhere because I'd go crazy. I'm already crazy, so I'd go double crazy.I've always wanted to do some artistic stuff in terms of painting. And I would definitely do lots and lots and lots of volunteer work, especially with the homeless. I am definitely interested in that. I have two brothers who are homeless. I know any circumstances can make anybody homeless. I have a program called Hero in Michigan. I'm working on a new coalition in Nevada, too, working with Sen. (Harry) Reid and the mayor. I'm trying to get entertainers behind the idea that the weakest link we have in the society is really the thing we have to concentrate on.Q: What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you on stage?A: The weirdest thing was a giant thing of lights fell down when I was on stage once. I was almost killed.

Q: How close did they fall?A: One foot. I think I did a joke. I think I looked up and went "Ya missed."